Developing Integrated Web Based Principle Economics Courses and Template for Survey Design to Measure the Differential Impact on Learning

Principal Investigator: Kajal Mukhopadhyay, Department of Economics and Laboratory for Social Science Research

Contact: Kajal Mukhopadhyay, Kajal.Mukhopadhyay.1@nd.edu

Through the Carnegie Scholarship of Teaching project, Dr. Mukhopadhyay has been developing materials and components of a Web-integrated course and a template for an experimental survey design in Principle Economics courses at Notre Dame.  This study can be used in the future to collect, analyze, and report data on student learning and understanding of core economic principles and their application to real life experiences, using the Internet and the Web in the classroom.  The main goal of the study is to design a consistent method that can measure (1) how and to what extent the Internet and the Web improve student learning in the classroom, and (2) the marginal benefit associated with using a Web-based course as opposed to current practice in teaching economics.  Exams and homework assignments will provide data on student performance in the economics course.  Question items from these will be pooled together and then randomly selected for a test or assignment.  This process will ensure conformity in regular classroom testing for various instructors across semesters.  In addition, to control for intra- or inter-group variations between the student population and classroom environments, an entry questionnaire and an exit questionnaire will be given to students each semester.  The entry questionnaire will be used to control for variations in entering students' capabilities and basic preparation.  The exit questionnaire will reflect the effectiveness of teaching methods used in the control and experimental sections of the economics course.